


The Name

by fairychangeling



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bisexual Dean Winchester, Canon Universe, Dean-Centric, Homophobic John Winchester, Internalized Homophobia, John Winchester Being an Asshole, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, M/M, Outing, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Series, Short One Shot, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Soulmates Castiel & Dean Winchester, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2017-05-28
Packaged: 2018-11-06 02:38:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11026857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairychangeling/pseuds/fairychangeling
Summary: The name appears on his arm just after his sixteenth birthday. The name of his soulmate.





	The Name

**Author's Note:**

> This was written on my tumblr when I was reading a discussion post about the possible negative outcome of soulmate marks, and I started to wonder about what would happen if a closeted teen!Dean was outed by his soulmate tattoo before he'd even begun to process being bi and while he was still living under the care of his father. 
> 
> Also, I am not a fan of John Winchester and this story does not portray him positively.

The name appears on his arm just after his sixteenth birthday. The name of his soulmate.

Dean hates it.

 _Castiel_.

“It could be a girl’s name,” Sam says carefully.

They all know it’s not. 

His dad doesn’t look at him.

From then on, he just stops looking at him. He stops putting his arm around Dean, stops patting him on the shoulder, just stops all of it. 

He starts sending Dean off on solo hunts, starts getting him his own room at motels. He starts limiting Dean’s contact with Sam as if Dean is something infections and Sam will catch whatever’s wrong with Dean if they stay together for too long. 

Dean tries to cut the name off his arm, tries to scratch it out but it only comes back stronger. After that, he covers himself up in layers of plaid and leather so no-one can see. 

He sleeps around - always women - and makes a big show of it. He throws himself into everything that’s important to his dad - cars, hunting, drinking until he can’t think anymore - and slowly, his dad seems to forget about the name on Dean’s arm. 

Dean doesn’t forget though. He doesn’t forget the way his dad acted. He doesn’t forget how it felt to be outed by something he had no control over. He takes all of that anger, all of that hate, and directs it at the faceless name on his arm. 

If he ever meets Castiel, that man is going to regret that Dean is his soulmate. He’s going to regret what he put Dean through. He’s going to suffer and Dean will be glad for it.

**

When he meets Castiel, years later, Dean doesn’t hate him. All of that resentment and anger drains out of him and he learns to put a face to the name that’s been with him since he was sixteen.

He learns to love that name, but it takes time.

Castiel waits for him. 


End file.
